Mark Whicker
108 articles · OCRegister.com
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Long time, no see: Danny Garcia finds his way back to the ring Saturday
By Mark Whicker
Danny Garcia took eight months off. He?s a boxer, not a bicycle rider. When you get back on, sometimes you forget. ?That first day of training, I said, ?This feels good,??? Garcia…
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Whicker: When fighting Lomachenko, quitting is sometimes the best option
By Mark Whicker
OXNARD ? Vasyl Lomachenko, the super-featherweight champion from Ukraine, is trying his best. A semi-circle of writers is firing questions. He responds in English. When Lomachenko runs into a snag, there is…
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Judgment Day: A rogue scorecard shouldn?t overshadow Canelo and Golovkin
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? What fight was Adalaide Byrd watching? Nobody in T-Mobile Arena really knew. ?Terrible, unbelievable,? Gennady Golovkin said, after Byrd gave Canelo Alvarez a 118-110 edge in a fight that…
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Whicker: Miguel Cotto is finishing with a flourish
By Mark Whicker
CARSON ? It will end for Miguel Cotto in Madison Square Garden, the place where New York?s Puerto Rican community never failed to embrace him, the place that always seemed more like…
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Whicker: Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor a fiasco? Bob Arum has seen worse
By Mark Whicker
Bob Arum is 85 years old. He has made boxing deals for 51 of them. He has dealt with Roy Cohn, the Nation of Islam and Don King. He once promoted Muhammad…
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After he minimized Kovalev, Ward looks for heavier belts
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? Twenty rounds ago, Sergey Kovalev was boxing?s pre-eminent dragon, a beast who bloodied people for sport. Two fights with Andre Ward have not only tamed Kovalev. They have reduced…
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Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin are the two left standing
By Mark Whicker
Something happened. Either Canelo Alvarez got tired of hammering the human heavy bags that were placed in his path. Or Oscar De La Hoya sensed that Gennady Golovkin was getting ready to…
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Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.?s fans are thinking with their hearts vs. Canelo Alvarez
By Mark Whicker
A while ago, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was a 10-to-1 underdog against Canelo Alvarez. Freddie Roach was ready to jump all over that. ?A thousand to win $10,000,? Roach said Tuesday. ?I…
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Can Wilder, Joshua revive boxing heavyweight division?
By Mark Whicker
Jerry Izenberg?s new book, ?Once There Were Giants,? is a vivid tribute to the heavyweight division, from Floyd Patterson?s time through Mike Tyson?s. It is also a requiem for the days when…
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With Bernard Hopkins? farewell, boxing loses a passionate ambassador
By Mark Whicker
Bernard Hopkins, the oldest champion in boxing history, says goodbye Saturday, 28 years after hello. In 1988, he fought Clinton Mitchell in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He lost a four-rounder, on a…
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Whicker: Andre Ward’s close win over Sergey Kovalev might be worthy of a rematch
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? Something unusual happened to Andre Ward, Saturday night in Vegas. Since he?s Andre Ward, he made sure it stayed in Vegas. In the second round Saturday night,his face moved…
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Whicker: For Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward, there is no Next Fight
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? A Big Fight can be defined as one that tolerates no conversation about the Next Fight. On Saturday night, Sergey Kovalev meets Andre Ward for a light heavyweight championship…
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Andre Ward undefeated and somehow undeniably unknown
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? Andre Ward finally landed in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The ripples were not widespread. He walked into a makeshift ring that was set up in the lobby of the…
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Whicker: Manny Pacquiao’s win Saturday rekindles talk of rematch with Floyd Mayweather
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? Six months ago, a joker showed up at Wild Card Gym. Floyd Mayweather Jr. came to the Vine Street shrine without his usual NFL offensive line of bodyguards, without…
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Whicker: Mum?s the word about possible Terence Crawford-Manny Pacquiao fight
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? Bob Arum expected Terence Crawford to beat Viktor Postol on Saturday night. When it happened, he was still speechless. ?I?m not talking to you guys anymore,? Arum told writers…
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Whicker: Boxing champion Crawford a proven performer working to become a star
By Mark Whicker
There are performers, and there are stars. Anna Kournikova was a star who never quite performed. Kim Clijsters was a performer in front of half-empty bleachers, at least in the U.S., until…
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Whicker: Boxing champion Crawford a proven performer working to become a star
By Mark Whicker
There are performers, and there are stars. Anna Kournikova was a star who never quite performed. Kim Clijsters was a performer in front of half-empty bleachers, at least in the U.S., until…
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Whicker: Canelo Alvarez is acting as if he?s tired of waiting to fight Gennady Golovkin.
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS >> The clock was ticking, the questions mounting, and Oscar De La Hoya kept postponing. ?Canelo will be out in one minute,? De La Hoya told the assembled media at…
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Whicker: Khan hopes skill triumphs over power against Canelo
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS >> Amir Khan seriously doubts he can hurt Canelo Alvarez. Which probably doesn?t motivate you to sign up for the pay-per-view. In December of 2012, Khan was fighting at 139…
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Whicker: Now Donald Trump won?t be coming to Canelo-Khan, as much as the event needs a spark.
By Mark Whicker
LAS VEGAS ? It began as a joke, then morphed into a dare and, on Wednesday, Oscar De La Hoya tried to spin it into reality. The Golden Boy Promotions CEO said…